Obsession
by FantasySci5
Summary: EClaire, EthanJuliet & EthanGoodwin friendship. Ethan's POV through 1st season, and Maternity Leave flashback. Ethan's interest in Claire is not just because of his job as an Other. She is his obsession.
1. Stalker

_Obsession_

SUMMARY: EClaire, Ethan/Juliet & Ethan/Goodwin friendship. Ethan's POV through 1st season, and "Maternity Leave" flashback. Ethan's "interest" in Claire is not just because of his job as an Other. She is his _obsession_.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lost, Ethan or Claire, or any of the basic plot. I DO own Ethan's thoughts, and what he thinks throughout this. Isn't that awesome?!

Author's Note: There is more to this than just this part, but I wanted you guys to have something. If I waited for it all to be finished, it would be a LONG time before I could post this! So, here is the 1st part, "Stalker".

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His orders had been to wait, to not get involved. He had been fine with that, keeping to himself, trying to avoid the spotlight. He answered vaguely when asked about his background, but he was always willing to help. He hung out in the background of the main survivors, and made the image of a regular every-day castaway. There was a reason he was one of the best Others, one who had been there the longest and was one of the most manipulative. That is, until he met her.

He had just walked out of the jungle, placid and walking a few paces behind Locke after their successful boar hunt, when he had caught sight of her. She was sitting on the beach, head bowed and looking out toward the ocean. She was wearing her usual black tank top and shorts, stretched a little over her slightly bulged belly, where her hand was resting now. Her golden hair that matched the glittering sand was pulled back from her face in a messy bun. Her bright blue eyes glanced over toward the jungle, and when she saw him staring at her, she blushed and looked down. He thought she looked beautiful, especially when she blushed. His obsession had been being an Other, hanging out with Goodwin and Juliet and occasionally being the doctor he was. Now, his obsession was Claire.

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He was very close to being a stalker. He tried to be around her all of the time. He caught glances of her all through the day, and sat around her campfire at night and at dinner. He couldn't take his eyes off her. When she was trying to avoid Charlie once, taking a private walk down the beach, he watched her from the trees. Her long golden tendrils were down framing her face like an angel, the bright sun making her seem to glow. Her smile lit up her face, a soft and innocent feel even though she was 9 months pregnant. Turning a corner, she finally saw him standing there in the sand, completely still, staring intensely at her. She smiled uncertainly, then more friendly.

"Hey." she greeted in her strong accent, like honey dripping into nectar. He beamed, saying hello in turn. She hobbled on her feet, and Ethan would have stepped up to help stable her, but he thought her untouchable. Like a ghostly image, that when you went to touch it, it would shimmer away. The moment was broken, though, when Charlie tromped down the sand, saying he had been looking for Claire all over. Claire immediately looked down really fast, as if she had been caught looking at someone or had been caught doing something wrong.

Ethan felt a blinding rage towards Charlie, now that he had lot his nerve to talk to his angel. He tried to blink away the red he was seeing, but saw that they had both left. Charlie was taking Claire's arm and leading her back to camp. She risked a glance over her shoulder back at Ethan, and he smiled back reassuringly.

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I know, it's short, but I promise I have the next part already typed out, and I'll post it next time. Do you like it? I hope you like how I made Ethan, because I love him, and even though he's a "bad guy" that I love, he still has his good side.


	2. Sleeping

_Obsession_

Okay, here's the second part! I've promised myself to keep up with this story, so I hope I keep to it. And reviews will help motivate me, because I'll feel bad if people are reviewing, and I don't give them anything for long stretches of time. I hope there's still EClairians out there! So, show me there are by reviewing!

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After that brief encounter, Ethan could never catch Claire alone. Charlie followed her around like a sick puppy dog, never wanting to leave its master's side. Ethan was starting to get discouraged that he would never get to talk to her, when she actually came and found him. Ethan was still in a daze that she had actually left the beach, for this place. When he had heard that the move had something to do with Charlie, it didn't surprise him. He hardly even saw her anymore, and that pained his heart. He wanted to talk to Goodwin, because his friend always knew what to do around girls. Goodwin was always good at giving advice, and helping him along. But Goodwin was on the other side of the island, and Ethan was all alone.

He had volunteered to get water from the caves for the beach people, hoping that he could at least get a glimpse of her. So he was surprised when Claire walked over to him, alone, and kneeled down next to him.

"Hey again." Claire greeted, the smile that haunted Ethan's dreams on her face.

"Hey." Ethan answered, already getting nervous. He could feel his palms getting sweaty, and he was sure that if he said more than one word, he would start stuttering.

"Sorry 'bout before. I don't think we ever got introduced. I'm Claire." She stuck out her hand, and Ethan's insecurities melted away for those precious seconds. He calmly, trying to be cool and suave, slid his hand in hers. And the physical contact was like a bolt of electricity up his arm, and to his heart.

"Ethan."

She smiled warmly at him, and said, "Nice to meet you."

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The days passed, but then just seeing her wasn't enough. He wanted so badly just to touch her hand, brush away some loose strands of hair. He wanted to free her from the tyrannical rule of Charlie. And suddenly, just seeing her and saying a few words was not enough. He didn't care that if he touched her, she would float away; he would just have to hold on tighter. Never put her in a cage, but make sure she never left him. He wanted to watch her sleep, peacefully dreaming. And he liked to dream that she may be dreaming of him.

So he sat there, late at night when no one was stirring, watching her sleep. The cold, dank air of the cave was no place for his princess to breathe, especially for the baby. She smiled faintly in her sleep, and Ethan let out a dreamy sigh. Her tank top was slightly pushed up, just enough for her belly to stick out. The sudden urge to need to touch her overpowered him, as he reached out a finger to brush lightly against her red lips, dried and chapped but still beautiful and lush in his eyes. The slight pressure made its way into her dream, and her overactive imagination made it into somebody covering her mouth. She twitched as the baby made a violent kick, almost sensing her nightmare fear.

Ethan half-smiled, his eyes in a trance, as he reached out to tenderly stroke her belly. In her dream, his cold hand seemed like a needle, and she thought she was getting attacked. She bolted up, screaming with tears streaming down her cheeks. He jumped back and melted into the shadows, shocked and saddened that she was afraid of him. He wanted to give her a hug and comfort her, but he couldn't explain why he was here and not at the beach. He snuck his way back to the beach, as he heard they wanted to make a search party and put up a sentry, with a heavy heart.

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I hope that was okay, and you guys didn't have to wait too long. I think some of the wording was forced, because it didn't feel right. Another way to look at the part in "Raised By Another".


	3. In the Jungle

_Obsession-Part 3_

Hey all! Sorry for the long wait, but I hope it wasn't as long as my "Missing Dimples" wait! Sorry, bad attempt at humor. I am really sorry, and I am SO glad that people like this! It kind of blows me away, but it's good to know that there are Ethan and EClaire fans out there! Oh, and Ethan is a bit mean to Hurley in this chapter. I love Hurley, so please forgive me and Ethan. Just to let you know, there are only about 2 more chapters after this one to go! Here's hoping that you stick through it till the end, and that Ethan comes back!

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Ethan angrily snapped the branch, taking out all of his anger onto the poor piece of wood. Holding the top up, he threw his foot down, breaking the twig cleanly in two. He silently fumed, staring moodily into the nearby trees. Bending down and muttering to himself, he picked up the pile of wood, unsure of what to do.

Damn that Hurley for being so nice, being himself, and poking his nose where it didn't belong. And damn that Sawyer for being so unlike himself. Hurley decided to see who everybody was, and had asked Sawyer for the manifest. Him being the nice person wanting to help that he is. And Sawyer had totally turned 180 degrees and gave it to him. Being totally un-Sawyer like, not demanding payment or having them torture him for it. Ethan wasn't sure how Hurley got Sawyer to give it to him, but this pissed him off as much as when he had found out that Charlie had tricked and used some devilry magic on Claire to move her to the caves.

He knew that they would soon find out that he wasn't on the list. If only he had used the name of someone who had died on the original plane. Now, they were sure to smoke him out. He couldn't go back to the beach, and risk being caught. He had to lie low for awhile, but he couldn't go back to Ben empty handed. He bit his lip, trying desperately to think of what to do.

He was ripped from his brooding as Charlie crashed through the trees. He was panting, sweat pouring off him and forming a puddle by the neck of his shirt. Ethan pretended to look confused, hoping that Charlie didn't know his secret. Even if he did, that would give Ethan a good reason to kill him. But he had came from deeper in the jungle, so there was still hope that his identity wasn't up.

"Oh, thank God! What's your name?" Charlie asked, and Ethan felt the urge to strangle him. (wink). He knew damn well what his name was.

"Ethan." He paused, running a finger down the rough bark he was holding awkwardly. He glared at Charlie, hoping that his death gaze didn't burst into flame and catch his wood on fire, and in the process burn his precious doctor hands. Although, would it be worth it if Charlie was being burned alive? As Ethan pondered his own question, he noticed how panicked Charlie looked. Slightly amused now, Ethan asked, "Are you alright?"

Of course, Ethan could care less, but he was intrigued now. He started smiling at the thought that Fluffy could have been out playing again. They say dogs can feel their master's feelings, and he wondered if that applied to black clouds. He would give Fluffy the biggest survivor if Fluffy had actually attacked Charlie. He crossed his fingers in blind hope, as he bit back giggles.

Charlie spoke in a rush, gesturing to every direction with his hands. "You need to run to the caves and get Jack."

Ethan's face fell, as he realized that Charlie had not had an encounter with the resident monster. Hurley was safe for now, but some day... That meant someone was hurt, which made him sad, since Ethan had gotten quite attached to some of the survivors. Too bad it wasn't Jack that had been hurt. That guy was second on Ethan's Hanging list, just behind Charlie himself.

Charlie continued, oblivious to Ethan's silent rant. "Tell him Claire..."

Ethan started at the sound of his lady's name, looking up sharply into Charlie's eyes. He had the sudden urge to whisper, _"My precious"_ in a high, raspy voice, then quickly shook his head in disgust. His one true love could be in perilous danger, and he was standing around quoting a movie. He really had to stop seeing reruns of "Lord of the Rings" on his days off.

To clear his head, Ethan croaked out, "Claire?!" in a voice he hoped didn't sound too scared. "Is she okay?!"

Charlie nodded quickly, brushing off Ethan's concern as if he was an annoying fly. "She's having the baby. Go fast, I'll be with her on the path. Go!"

This last command snapped Ethan out of his panic for her safety, and sent him spiraling into action. Throwing down his pile of wood, he sprung down the path towards the caves. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Charlie race back to Claire.

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Ethan slowed down to a stop as his brain caught up with him. He couldn't go back to the caves. He was sure Hurley was running as fast as he could to warn Jack of The Other amongst them. But he couldn't just go back to what he was doing. His Claire was in trouble, and he needed to be there to help her. And the fact that pregnancies on the island ended with the mother dying lingered in the back of his mind. Chewing his lip, he cursed himself for not having the pregnancy shots when he needed them. Making up his mind, he dashed back through the trees, further away from civilization and closer to his Baby girl.

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Ethan finally heard muffled voices ahead of him. He stopped short at the edge of the clearing, watching Claire clutch at her belly. She seemed better, although she was grimacing every once and awhile, and she looked like she was in pain. Ethan nearly threw up when he heard Charlie promise to protect her. He would have attacked that little hobbit right then and there if he hadn't been so enthralled with the image of Claire. He felt like he was in a trance, just staring at the vision of loveliness before him. Her hair was down in clumps, sticking to her forward and cheeks from the sweat. She was panting, and her eyes were large, looking up at Charlie. The way she was looking at Charlie now was the way she had looked at Ethan that first day on the beach. So full of wonder and trust, thanks and a love for everything that breathed. He wanted that soft gaze to be on him again. The need for it burned him from inside, until he felt he couldn't breathe unless she looked at him that way again. Without even fully realizing it, he spoke up. "Hello there!" That's when they noticed him.

He couldn't tare his eyes off of Claire, who shifted uneasily under his piercing gaze. He continued to stare at her with his head hanging low, his eyes fixed on her eyes. He didn't even register Charlie talking, saying something about "where's Jack". That was like buzzing in his ear. All he could hear was the heavy silence between him and Claire, and her heavy breathing mingled with his pants from running the whole way.

She started to shift, turning into Charlie as Ethan's gaze became more intense. When Charlie put his arm over Claire's shoulder, that was the last straw for Ethan. Red spots danced under his eyelids as he lunged forward. The red spots of hate turned to a black sheet of kill. The need to feel Charlie's last breaths under his fingertips almost outweighed his need for Claire to look at him like that again. Claire fainted, falling to the ground in a heap from stress, as Ethan wrapped his hands around Charlie's throat. The hands he used to perform medical miracles. The hands he used as a doctor to heal people. The hands he was now using to take away a life.

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Hey all! Thanks for waiting! I'm not sure if I like this chapter, because to me, it seemed like it started off funny and ended very violently. Well, 2 more chapters! Hope you still love it, and will stick around for the end!


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